VoIP is a term you may have often heard, but what is it and what does it mean? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a simple concept that’s been around since the mid-90s, but there is a lot of confusion about how it works. To help demystify VoIP, we’ve compiled a list of answers to common questions we receive from organizations just like yours.
1. What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which simply means you make and receive phone calls over the Internet. More than that, VoIP gives your organization a more flexible and feature-oriented phone system for a fraction of the cost of a traditional telephone system and phone line. What does that mean for you? Usually some cost savings overall, which means more money in your bottom line.
2. What features do VoIP phones have?
Typical VoIP phone systems provide a wide range of options, including:
Business text messaging Auto attendant
Call Routing
Analytics on Calls Custom
Hold Music
Transfer to cellphone (sometimes referred to as “Find me Follow me”)
Do not Disturb
Mobile App
Softphone (to talk from your computer)
Voicemail to Email or Text
3. Do I need to purchase new phones?
If you already have VoIP phones that can plug into an ethernet cable, most VoIP providers can utilize your current investment, further saving you time and money. If you are operating with analog phones, there are a variety of VoIP phones that can be recommended for a minimal, upfront hardware cost.
4. How does this work with my existing phone company?
Some VoIP providers (like Applied Innovation) offer what’s called “Carrier Services.” Carrier Services allow you to have a one-stop shop for all things related to your business phones. Providers that offer carrier services will do the leg work for you. This includes researching different phone service provider vendors that they have relationships with, getting quotes, and passing discounts along to you. Most times, you end up receiving a competitive rate and cost savings. They have access and discounts to the largest and most common providers, which saves you the headache of looking for quotes on your own.
5. What happens if my business is going through an expansion?
Congratulations on your company growth! That’s the beauty of VoIP – it’s completely flexible and scalable – whether you have 5 users or 50,000 users. Because it’s in the cloud, adding users is an inexpensive breeze.
6. What is Voicemail to Email?
Voicemail to Email is a great feature to have when you’re on the go. Voicemail to Email will enable you to receive an email with a .wav file attachment of the voicemail that came to your VoIP phone. You can return it at your leisure, listen to it from your email, or even send the person an email back with whatever it is they are requesting in the voicemail.
7. What type of analytics can I expect to receive from most phone systems?
Most phone systems vary in the analytics you can sign up to receive, however, some of the basics are:
Call duration
Number of calls that have come in, on average
Number of calls outbound and inbound, per day
Number of calls per day, by user
How long, on average, each call lasts
How long, on average, each call lasts, by user
Number of calls answered
8. Can I keep my existing phone number?
With most VoIP providers, the answer is YES! Providers use what is called “number porting” to bring over your list of phone numbers. Make sure to ask the provider you are interviewing if this is a free service they offer. If you do not have an existing phone number, they can walk through a variety of local phone numbers for you to choose from.
If you have further questions, please feel free to email us. We’re always available to support your business technology needs. Applied Innovation experts are just a call, click, or visit away with offices in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Tampa, Florida.